Separator sheet feeder for food machinery

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for interposing separator sheets between portions of food products, such as meat patties, includes a trap door arrangement mounted beneath a position from which individual patties are dropped, and a supply device for feeding individual separator sheets onto the door while it is closed. The patty drops onto the sheet with the door in closed position, then the door is quickly opened to drop the sheet and patty together onto a conveyor. The supply of separators is in the form of a continuous roll, and a cutter and feeder arrangement severs sheets of proper size from the roll, and advances the individual sheets onto the closed trap door. The size of the severed sheets can be adjusted.

United States Patent [191 Burns Jan. 16,1973

[54] SEPARATOR SHEET FEEDER FOR FOOD MACHINERY [75] Inventor: Richard H. Burns, Troy, Ohio [22] Filed: July 1, 1969 [21] Appl. No; 838,303

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 570,904, Aug. 8,

2,792,219 5/1957 Frank ..53/389 X 1,833,011 11/1931 Aldrich 53/389 3,169,354 2/1965 Bliss ..53/61 3,021,656 2/1962 De Vries ..53/248 Primary Examiner-Travis S. McGehee Attorney-Marechal, Biebel, French & Bugg [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for interposing separator sheets between portions of food products, such as meat patties, includes a trap door arrangement mounted beneath a position from which individual patties are dropped, and a supply device for feeding individual separator sheets onto the door while it is closed. The patty drops onto the sheet with the door in closed position, then the door is quickly opened to drop the sheet and patty together onto a conveyor. The supply of separators is in the form of a continuous roll, and a cutter and feeder arrangement severs sheets of proper size from the roll, and advances the individual sheets onto the closed trap door. The size of the severed sheets can be adjusted.

19 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PATENIEUJM 15 I975 3.718.533

sum 3 [1F 3 FIG-12 SEPARATOR SHEET FEEDER FOR FOOD MACHINERY CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 570,904, filed Aug. 8, I966, now abandoned, and assigned to the same assignee.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus for handling food products, particularly to an improved device for interposing a sheet of thin flexible separator material between portions of food products, such as ground meat patties, slices of cheese, or the like.

The use of separator sheets in the dispensing and handling of food products is well known, particularly in connection with machines for forming portions of the food product and providing stacks of the product in which the individual portions are separated by sheets of thin paper of other suitable material. Usually the operation of inserting the separator sheets is performed as the portions are formed, for example as the individual patties are discharged from a patty making machine. Various devices have been suggested for dispensing single sheets from a stack of pre-eut separator sheets and applying the sheet to either the top or the bottom of the patty, or by placing the patties on a web of the separator material and severing the material between patties.

When using a supply of pre-cut sheets, some materials are difficult to handle, and tend to stick together, with a resulting waste of the separator sheets, and other materials are so thin and flexible that it is quite difficult even impossible to use this material successfully in a machine which. must handle individual sheets of the material. An example of such thin flexible material is cellophane, as well as some of the newer thin transparent plastic materials.

If the separator material is supplied as a continuous web, and the portions spaced along the web before it is divided into sheets, the subsequent handling and stacking of the portions becomes somewhat more difficult, and parts of the machinery tend to collect soil from the food product. This can lead to cleaning and maintenance which it is desirable to minimize.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a device which can successfully feed individual separator sheets for placement between successive food portions, particularly meat patties and the like formed by a machine to which the device is connected, whereby each sheet is precisely positioned and the portion is brought into firm contact with the sheet before the assembled sheet and food portions are placed on a stack. The device preferably includes provisions for feeding from a web of separator material and severing it into suitable sheets with a minimum of handling of the sheets.

The primary object of the invention is to provide such an improved device for quickly and accurately interposing separator sheets between successively distributed food products; to provide such a device which is of compact construction and may readily be attached as an accessory to a machine for forming and distributing portions of a food product, such as a patty making machine; to provide such a device which can handle various types of thin flexible separator material, including mechanism for handling the separator material as a web from a supply roll and severing a desired length of the material from the end of the roll to provide an individual sheet immediately before it is contacted by the food portions, thus minimizing the time and distance in which this thin material must be handled as an individual sheet; to provide such a device in which the food portions do not contact any of the structure of the device, but merely contact the separator sheet immediately prior to discharge of the combined portion and sheet from the device; and to provide such a device in which the length of the severed sheet can be changed while still positioning the sheet accurately under the food portion.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded diagrammatic view of the apparatus shown in FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is a section view of the roll supporting spindle as taken along the line 33 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the locking of a paper roll onto the spindle;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section view of the spindle support as taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 7; I

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section view of the web cutting means as taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 7 is an axial section view of the paper roll supporting spindle;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic elevational view showing the path of travel of the paper web and sheets cut from the web;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a portion of the apparatus showing the receiving of a meat patty;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 9 and showing the release of a patty and adjacent sheet downwardly onto a stack of patties;

FIG. 11 is a side view, with a housing, rollers, and parts of the carriage, shown in section, illustrating a modified form of the apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 12 is a top view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 11, with some parts removed to clarify the drawing;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged detail view of the drive for the feed rolls, taken on line l3-l3 in FIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross sectional view showing details of the stop adjustment mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT shown, only those parts necessary for an understanding of the invention being illustrated in a schematic manner.

Thus, the machine includes a reciprocable slide 20, or equivalent, having a mold cavity 22 and a molding piston 24 adapted to move through the cavity. The drive apparatus 25 is connected, as shown schematically in FIG. 2, to move the slide 20 between a molding station (not shown) where ground meat or the like is forced into the cavity 22, and the delivery or discharge station shown in FIGS. 2, 8 and 9, where the follower 27 on the piston 24 is pushed under the stationary cam 28, causing the piston to push the formed patty P into the mold cavity.

The frame of the separator feeding apparatus is located adjacent to this discharge position, and extends beneath and across the downward path of travel of the patties. The side walls 30 of the frame extend around this path and provide a mounting for cooperating hinged doors 32a and 32b. These doors are fastened to corresponding shafts 35a and 35b (FIGS. 2 and 8) and the doors cooperate to provide a form of trap door structure which constitutes a means for intercepting the patty P as it falls along its discharge travel path, and also as a means for locating a separator sheet S to be engaged by the patty. There are guide rails 36 mounted in the frame 30 and extending along opposite sides of the doors 32a and 32b.'These rails serve to keep the sheet 8 in alignment as it is accelerated forward over the top of the doors.

The shafts 35a and 35b have corresponding arms 37a and 37b extending in generally opposite directions with respect to each other, and joined by a connecting link 38. Therefore, swinging motion of the arm 37b will produce swinging motion in the opposite direction in the arm 37a, within the limits of the mechanism, and this in turn will cause the doors 32a and 32b to swing between a closed position (FIGS. 1, 2 and 9) where the free edges of the doors are adjacent to each other, and open position (FIG. where the doors swing downwardly and away from each other. This allows the patty P, resting on the sheet S, to fall through the resulting opening and continue along the discharge path leading to a suitable receiving surface. Such a surface may be the upper flight ofa belt conveyor 40 which can be driven in timed relation to the patty forming machine, as will be explained.

The separator feeding mechanism, as just described, is adaptable to the handling of separator sheets supplied either from a stack of pre-cut sheets, or from a continuous roll or web, from which the individual separator sheets S are cut as used. The latter form of separator sheet supply is illustrated, because it is particularly suitable for the supply and handling of thin separator material such as cellophane and the like. In either event, the sheet feeding apparatus is capable of handling sheets of somewhat different length, as may be required according to the use of slides having different sizes of mold cavities. Therefore, the door 32b is provided with adjustable stops 45 that serve to engage the leading edge of a sheet passed onto the doors in their closed position, as shown for example in FIGS. 8 and 9. The stops 45 function as a means for locating the sheet, as least momentarily, in a stationary condition along the path of travel of the patty P. The timing of the opening of the doors is correlated with the motion of the slide 20 to its discharge position in such a way that the patty will fall upon the sheet S while the doors are closed, and will tend to stick to the sheet, after which the doors will rapidly be opened, to the position shown in FIG. 10, and the combined patty and separator sheet drops to the conveyor 40.

The mechanism for producing this timed motion is shown in FIG. 2, and includes a shaft 50 extending from the drive mechanism 25 of the patty machine to a manually operable connector and clutch 52, having a control handle 53. This clutch controls the application of rotary power to the drive shaft 55 of the separator feeding device, and a cylindrical driving cam 58 is fastened to shaft 55 and has a cam slot 60 formed in its periphery. The follower member 62 is connected to an extension of shaft 35a, and has a follower pin 63 which engages in the cam slot 60, and hence causes the follower arm 62 to rock back and forth in timed relation to the rotation of the cam 58, and hence in timed relation to the reciprocating motion of slide 28.

As mentioned, the preferred form of separator sheet supply is in a continuous web W, which leads from a supply roll R mounted on a suitable arbor construction as a part of the separator feeding device. The structure of the arbor is shown in detail in FIG. 7, and includes a hollow upwardly extending pedestal which is a part of the frame 15, containing ball bearings 72 and supporting a shaft 73. A yoke member 75, preferably provided with a strip of suitable friction material 76, is supported above the portion of shaft 73 extending between the pedestal walls. The yoke is suspended from a thumb screw 78 threaded through the top of the pedestal, and thus turning the thumb screw in a direction to thread it into the pedestal will produce a braking action on the shaft 73 by the friction material 76.

The shaft 73 is provided with an enlarged head 77 which extends into a roll supporting cylinder 80. A plate-like disc 82 is received around the cylinder 80, preferably press-fitted thereon, and is backed up by a retaining ring 83 which is attached by a crosspin 84 to the enlarged head or end 77 of the shaft. At the outer end of the cylinder there is a plug member 85 which had an end of reduced size press-fitted within the end of the cylinder 80, and which carries a handle supporting rod 87. The rod is secured to the plug member 85 by a crosspin 88.

A handle is carried on rod 87, retained by a suitable snap ring 91, and the inner end of the handle has a pair or generally transverse cam slots, of arcuate configuration which is eccentric to the center line of the' handle, shown at 92 in FIGS. 3 and 4. The plug member 85 has a diametrically formed slot 94 receiving pointed retainer members 95 on opposite sides of the rod 87. These retainer members can move radially inward and outward in the slot 94, and this motion is caused by pin followers 96 extending from each of the members 95 into corresponding ones of the cam slots 92, particularly as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. By rotating the handle 90 with respect to its supporting rod 87, the points of the retainer members 95 can be moved between inward and outward positions, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 respectively.

In the inward position the tips of the points of the retainer members are flush with or inward of the surface of the cylinder 80, and permit the core C of roll R to slip onto the cylinder, into abutment with the plate 82. By twisting the handle the points of the retainer members can be forced into the core, which usually is formed of soft wood or cardboard, thereby securing the roll of separator material for rotation with theshaft 77. The action of the brake 75 thus will be exerted on the web W passing from the roll.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the web is thrust into a guiding and supplying means which includes positivelydriven counter-rotating rollers and 102. These rollers are connected to be driven by gears 103 and 104, respectively, with the gear .104 in turn being driven by shaft 105 which is rotated through bevel gears 107 driven from the main shaft 55. The web W is guided and held against the roller 100 by an idler roller 110 whichis mounted for free rotation on the end of a swinging arm 111.

This arm is supported on a shaft 112 which can be rotated toward and away from the web by control handle 114. Preferably, the arm also carries a guiding member 115 which tends to feed the end of the web into the nip between the rollers 100 and 102. A suitable spring or a detent (not shown) is provided to hold the arm 111 in its normal position with the roller 110 pressing the web into engagement with the roller 100, as shown in FIG. 8. The roller 100 in turn is mounted on a shaft 117 (to which its gear 103 is also connected) and this shaft is carried by a pivoted supporting arm structure 120, which is best seen in FIG. 1. The pivot support for this arm structure is provided by a stationary shaft or rod 121 fastened at opposite ends to the frame 15. A bracket 122 is secured to this rod and extends over the arm structure 120, and an adjustable thumb screw 124 is threaded through the end of this bracket, and presses against the arm structure to urge the roller 100 downward against the roller 102. v

The roller 102 carries a serrated knife blade 125, preferably having undercut teeth as shown in FIG. 6, and this blade is arranged to cooperate with the resilient surface 127 provided on roller 100, to sever a sheet from the end of the web W once during each revolution ofthe rollers 100 and 102. The length of this sheet can be controlled, therefore, by providing rollers of larger or smaller diameter.

In order to assure that the web does not adhere to the roller 102 but is fed forward from the nip, a small brush 128 is mounted to extend across the surface of roller 102 immediately below and beyond the nip, as shown in FIG. 8. This brush must be engaged by the knife and will tend to flick the web away from the roller 102. In addition, a number of spring biased ball members 129 (F108. 6 and 8) are mounted immediately behind the knife blade and the upper surface of the balls is normally upward from the surface of the roller, forming a stripper arrangement which tends the forward edge of the web away from the back surface of the knife.

Immediately forward, along the path of travel of the separator material, is a guiding end sheet accelerating means which takes the sheets severed from the web and moves these sheets forward rapidly onto the upper surface of the doors 32a and 3211. This mechanism includes a stationary guide plate 130 mounted above the path of travel of the separator material and having a beveled end 131 extending into the region between the rollers 100. and 102, as best seen in FIG. 8. Immediately below this plate are rollers 132 and 134 which are carried-on a suitable sub-bracket 135 fastened to the interior of the frame. The rollers are freely rotatable in their mounting, and the roller 134 is connected through a shaft to a toothed pulley 137. It in turn is connected by a timing belt 138 to a somewhat larger toothed pulley 139 that is fastened to the end of shaft 105. An adjustable tension controlling idler 140 keeps the belt 138 in contact with the toothed pulleys.

Due to the difference in size between these pulleys, the pulley 137 is rotated at a somewhat higher speed than the shaft 105, and hence somewhat faster than the rollers 100 and 102. A plurality of guiding and convey" ing belts 142 are received around the rollers 132 and 134, preferably within suitable grooves formed in the roller surfaces, and the upper flight of these belts provides a conveying surface for the severed sheet, which is guided onto these belts by the plate 130.

Over the roller 134 there are a pair of small idler rollers 144 supported on a cross-shaft 145, and extending through slots in the plate 130 to form a nip with the roller 134. The sheet is moved into this nip on the upper flight of the belts, and thus there is a positive accelerating force exerted on the sheet S as it is pushed outward onto the upper surface of the doors, and the sheet actually is thrust forward into engagement with the stops 45.

This separator supply mechanism provides for feeding a web of separator material and maintaining tension in the web to assure a clean cut of the individual sheets of separator material from the end of the web. The sheets are severed immediately before they are fed-into position onto the upper surface of the trap doors, so that the sheets are handled individually over a very small distance, under close control. By the time trailing edge of a sheet is severed from the edge by the knife 125, the sheet is already in contact with the upper flight of belts 142 and the leading edge of the sheet S is nipped by the rollers 134 and 144, which will slip on the surface of the sheet until it is severed from the web.

Hence as soon as the trailing edge of the sheet is completely severed from the web it is thrust immediately out onto the surface of the trap doors, where the sheet position is controlled by the stops 45. This operation is timed to locate the sheet on the doors immediately before the patty P falls onto the separator sheet, hence the individual sheets remain in this position only for a moment, and this minimizes the opportunity for air currents to disrupt the position of the sheet.

The doors remain in their closed position until the patty or other food portion falls upon and tends to cling to the sheet S. The patty actually comes to a stop, and the doors are quickly opened and the combined sheet and patty falls to the collecting surface, such as the conveyor belt 40. The food portions, therefore, have no actual contact with any part of the sheet supplying and sheet feeding mechanisms.

The conveyor 40 can be driven forward constantly or intermittently, as by controlling the drive to its drive roller [50. This operation can space the patties individually on the surface of the conveyor belt, or the intermittent motion can be controlled to provide a stack of several separated portions before the conveyor is moved to begin a new stack. For this purpose, a suitable counter (of a conventional type) 153 (FIG. 2) is driven from the shaft 50 such that the counter will ad- 'ance once for each cycle of the separator feeding mechanism. This counter is connected to rotate the conveyor roller 150. The counter can be preset to actuate the drive motor 154 only after a predetermined number of separated food portions have been allowed to stack on the conveyor belts.

Referring to FIGS. 11-14, a modified form of separator sheet feeding mechanism is shown, wherein the length of sheet severed from the web can be adjusted readily, without need for replacement of parts. The drive to this mechanism is provided through the shaft 50, as previously explained, hence like numerals have been employed to indicate like parts, and where possible the same numerals with suitable suffixes are employed to indicate similar parts of slightly different construction. Thus the shaft 55a carries and drives the cam 60, and the follower 63 operates the arm 38 and cranks 37a and 37b to rotate the trap door controlling pivots 35a and 35b.

The trap door means are of slightly different construction, and are thus indicated by the reference numerals 32c and 32d to distinguish from the door means shown in FIGS. 1, 2, etc. Here, the doors are constructed of U-shaped rod members 232 which are attached at their opposite ends to the pivots, and a plurality of transversely extending rods 233 extend from the outer rods 232, forming a grid-like door arrangement as shown particularly in FIG. 12. This structure provides adequate support for the separator sheet, and the patty placed upon it, but due to its open construction it is less susceptible to collecting small particles of food product which might separate from the patty and cling to the trap door structure.

Referring to FIG. 12, the bevel gears 107a, similar to the gears I07, provide the drive to the knife roll and its backup. As shown in FIG. 1], the knife roll 102a cooperates .with a backup roll 100a having a resilient cover, and the knife 125a functions with the resilient cover to sever the web W passed between these two rolls. In this construction, however, the rolls are mounted with their respective surfaces spaced slightly apart, to define a gap through which the web is pushed.

These rolls are supported for rotation in a movable carriage 240 which has extensions with slide bearings 241 on the outwardly extended part of the shaft 55a. One of the bevel gears 107a is also mounted adjacent the forward one ofthesebearings, and the bevel gear has a sliding drive connection to shaft 55a through an elongated keyway 242 and a sliding key (not shown). At its opposite side the carriage has a guiding stud 243 which extends through a slot 244 in the housing of the mechanism, supporting the opposite side of the carriage and also defining the limits of its movement toward and away from the trap door means. This movement is controlled by an adjusting screw 245 which is threaded into a portion of the carriage 240, and which is rotatably mounted in the main housing. A convenient adjustment knob 246 is fastened to the outer end of the adjustment screw 245.

The bevel gears 107a drive the backup roll 100a, and in turn there are spur gears (corresponding to gears 103 and 104) which cause the knife roll 102a to rotate in the opposite direction. The gear 103a is shown in FIG. 12. At the opposite side of the backup roll there is a larger gear 250 which drives a smaller gear 252 that is in turn connected to the lower one of a pair of cross shafts 253 and 254, each having a pair of elongated rollers 255 thereon.

The forward end of the carriage 240 has forklike extensions 258, spaced generally above and below the path of the sheet. The upper extension 258 carries a plurality of rollers 259 which extend generally into the spaces between the rods 233 of the trap door construction, and small rubber bands or belts 260 pass over the rollers 259 and the rearward power-driven rollers 255, as shown particularly in FIGS. 11 and 12, to provide a sheet advancing means comparable to the bands 142 shown inFIG. 8. The drive to the upper bands 260 is through frictional contact with the lower bands 261. This structure is duplicated below the sheet path, with the belts or bands 261 cooperating with the belts 260 to provide the sheet advancing means, and being driven from a lower cross shaft 262. Thus, since the belts are driven at a somewhat higher speed due to the gearing 250, 252, the severed sheet will be taken up by the belts and thrust under control out onto the trap door means.

Spaced rearwardly of the knife roll and its backup roll is a pair of feed rolls, each having a resilient cover, indicated at 265 and 266. These rolls are rotatably mounted in the carriage 240, and are connected through gears to provide for concurrent rotation in opposite directions. The uppermost gear 268 is shown in FIG. 12. Thus the lower feed roll 266 is arranged to rotate clockwise as shown in FIG. 11 while the upper roll 267 rotates counterclockwise. The resilient covers of these rolls are arranged to define a nip which are engageable to the web W and move the forward direction guide plates 270 into the gap between the knife roll and its backup roll. The guide plates are also supported from the carriage structure but they are omitted in FIG. 12 in order to clarify the drawing. Also shown only in FIG. 11 are the walls 272 defining an entrance chute for the web W, guiding the web into the nip of the feed rolls. The housing has an elongated slot 273 in its top to accommodate movement of the web guide chute during the movement of the carriage.

The drive for the feed rolls is derived from shaft 55a through a drive wheel 275 having a rubber or similar friction tire 276 that engages the surface of a drive plate 280 mounted on the shaft of the upper feed roll 265, and urged against the tire 276 by spring 281. The drive wheel 275 is mounted in a fixed position on the drive shaft, hence movement of the carriage which produces movement ofthe wheel 280, causes the tire 276 to engage the wheel at a different radius for each adjustment position of the carriage, thereby varying the speed of the feed rolls. If the carriage is moved to the right as viewed in FIGS. 11 and 12, toward the trap door means, the feed roll drive will slow, and vice ver- Thus, the feed rolls are rotated to push the web through the gap between the knife roll 102a and its backup, and the web proceeds into the region between the belts 260 and 261. When the knife a severs the web, the resulting sheet S is carried forward by the advancing means, the power-driven belts 260 and 261, to move the severed sheet S rapidly onto the trap door means which are then in the closed position. If the rotation of the feed rolls is slowed, a lesser portion of the web W will be fed through the gap, and thus the knives will sever a smaller sheet.

ln order to avoid bunehing of the web material dur ing the cutting action of the knife, the tire 276 is provided with a flat portion 2760, as shown in FIG. 13. This flat on the friction drive wheel is arranged to be coincident with the eut-off position of the knife, therefore when the knife, and the insert member mounting it in the knife roll l02a,e ngage the web in the act of severing the sheet, they take over the function of carrying the web forward during the dwell portion of the feed rolls resulting from the flat on the drive wheel.

For convenience, the stops 45a, which correspond to the adjustable stops 45 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, are constructed as automatically adjustable members movable with the carriage 240. On opposite sides of the trap door structure, control rods 285 extend from the forward end of the carriage into a supporting block 286 which is adjustably mounted on the cross member 290 of the housing. Each block 286 has a separate thumbscrew 291 for holding it in an adjusted position on the cross members, and each block carries an internal frecly rotatable rubber roller 293, as shown in FIGS. 14. The rods 285 extend through the upper portion of the block 286, tangent to and in contact with the rollers 293. Stop rods 295 extend through the blocks 286 tangent to and in contact with the lower surface of the rollers 293, and the forward ends of the rods 295 are shaped as hook-like members which engage over the rods 285 for guidance, and which function as the adjustable sheet stops 450.

It will be seen from FlG. 14 that when the carriage is moved toward the center line of the trap door structure, the 285 will move correspondingly, and the rollers 293 will cause a corresponding opposite movement of the stops inwardly toward the center of the trap door means. Thus as a smaller sheet is severed from the web, the stops 45a will be adjusted to center this smaller sheet on the trap door means. The rods 285 are connected to the carriage merely by being hooked over a cross piece as shown in FIG. 11, and these rods are adjustable transversely of the carriage along with transverse adjustment of the blocks 286. Therefore, the stops can be adjusted to accommodate sheets of the different widths.

The' modified sheet severing mechanism shown in FIG. 11 thus embodies the same functions as that device shown in FIGS. 1-10, with the additional feature of quick adjustment of the length of the sheet severed from the web, and corresponding automatic adjustment in the position of the stops cooperating with the trap door means. In other respects the operation is essentially the same, with the sheet being centered on the trap door means while the doors are closed, after which a food portion or patty P is dropped on the sheet S, followed by a rapid opening movement of the doors to drop the sheet and patty together on a conveyor or other suitable collection device.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for interposing sheets of thin flexible separator material between successive portions of food products fed from a supply source, comprising trap door means mounted below the supply source and operable between a generally horizontal closed position and a lowered position, means for feeding a sheet of material of predetermined size onto said door means in the closed position thereof, means holding said door means in closed position for receiving and supporting a portion dropped downwardly onto a sheet positioned on said door means, means for releasing said door means to the lowered position causing the product and the sheet of material adjacent the bottom of the product to drop downwardly together into a collecting area, and drive means for operating said sheet feeding means and said releasing means for said door means in accordance with the rate of supply of the portions.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including adjustable stop means cooperating with said door means for stopping the sheet fed thereon and positioning the sheet precisely on said door means.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including means for supporting a roll of flexible separator material, means for withdrawing a web of the material from the roll and directing the web along a predetermined path toward said sheet feeding means, and knife means for successively cutting the web into sheets immediately ahead of said sheet feeding means.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for feeding a sheet onto said door means include accelerating means for carrying the severed sheet away from the remainder of the web being pulled from the roll.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said aecelerating means includes a pair of parallel spaced rollers mounted crosswise of the path of travel of the web from said withdrawing means, belt means passing around and driven by said rollers, one of said rollers being located adjacent said knife means for receiving a sheet as it is cut from the web by said knife means, and means driving said rollers at a speed correlated to move said belt means substantially faster than said withdrawing means.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for supporting a supply roll of flexible material includes a rotatably mounted spindle, adjustable brake means for applying a dragging force on said spindle to oppose the pull of the web from the supply roll, and means on said spindle for releasably locking the supply roll on said spindle to prevent relative rotation between said spindle and the supply roll.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said withdrawing means includes withdrawing rollers, at least one of said withdrawing rollers having a drive connection to said drive means, said rollers forming a first nip through which the web is passed from the supply roll, said knife means being spaced from said nip toward said sheet feeding means to sever the sheet from the web as the web is advanced to said knife means by said rollers.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said knife means includes a cutter roller carrying a cutting knife for severing the web once during each revolution thereof, and a drive connection rotating said cutter roller concurrently with said withdrawing roller to sever a sheet from the web corresponding in length to the circumference of said cutter roller.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said knife means includes a cutter roller carrying a cutting knife projecting therefrom, a back-up roller spaced slightly from said cutter roller and in position to contact said cutting knife to form a gap through which the web can be advanced by said withdrawing rollers, and a drive connection from said drive means to said cutter roller produces a peripheral speed of said cutter roller slower than the peripheral speed of said withdrawing rollers whereby the web is pushed through said gap before the web is severed by said cutting knife.

10. Apparatus asdetined in claim 9, wherein said drive connection to said withdrawing rollers is adjustable to cause a change in the length of sheet severed from the web upon each revolution of said cutter roller.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10, including a movable carriage having said sheet feeding means and all of said rollers mounted thereon for movement toward and away from said trap door means for centering the severed sheet on said trap door means regardless of the size of the severed sheet.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 11, including adjustable stop means cooperating with said trap door means for stopping the sheet fed thereon to position the sheet precisely on said trapdoor means, and a connection between said adjustable stop means and said carriage constructed and arranged to move said adjustable stop means inward toward the center of said trap door means when said carriage is moved inward toward the center of said trap door means.

13. Apparatus as defined'in claim 1 wherein said trap door means includes a pair of adjacent rectangular shaped doors extending in a common plane across the path of travel of the food product from the supply source, and means pivotably mounting said doors on 'parallel axes spaced from said path such that said doors are adapted to be swung downwardly and away from each other by said releasing means to drop the product and the separator sheet together downwardly into the collecting area while maintaining the product in generally a horizontal attitude.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein said trap doors are constructed as grids to minimize collection of food particles.

15. Apparatus for inserting separator sheets between individual. food portions which are dispensed in sequence along a predetermined path, door means supported in a normal closed position transversely of said path to intercept and to provide a temporary support for the food portions, means providing a supply of separator sheets, sheet feeding means receiving individual separator sheets from sheet supply means and operating to position a sheet on said door means in coordinated relation to the feeding of food portions such that a sheet is located on said door means before a food portion moves along said path and onto the sheet, means providing a collecting station spaced below said door means, drive means connected to move said' door sheet feeding means and the rate of supply of the food.

portions to stop each portion upon a separator sheet resting on said door means and then to pass the combined sheet and food ortion to said collecting station,

6. Apparatus as etined in claim 15, wherein said door means includes a coplanar pair of doors adjoining each other at the center of said path and each mounted for swinging movement down and away from the other to clear said path in the open position, a drive connection between said drive means and said doors for simultaneous movement of said doors to drop the combined sheet and food portion directly along said path and to return said doors to the closed position before the next food portion is dispensed.

17. Apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein said sheet supply means includes a support for a roll of separator material, means for withdrawing and guiding the material as a web from the roll, cutter means operative to sever sheets from the end of the web, a connection between said sheet feeding means and said cutter means coordinating the severing of a sheet with the closing of said door means, and means guiding the severed sheets directly to said sheet feeding means for immediate positioning upon the closed door means to receive the next dispensed food portion.

18. Apparatus as defined in claim 17, including adjustable control mechanism in said connection between said sheet feeding means and said cutter means for changing the length of sheet severed from the web.

19. Apparatus for inserting separator sheets between individual food portions which are dispensed in sequence along a predetermined path, comprising means including locating stops for supporting individual separator sheets in predetermined stationary position across said path to receive the food portions,

a support for a roll of separator material,

means for withdrawing and guiding the material as a web from said roll,

cutter means operative to sever sheets from the end of the web,

a control timing the operation of said cutter means to the dispensing of the food portions,

sheet feeding means receiving the individual separator sheets from said cutter means and operating to advance each sheet rapidly to said locating stops, and means for removing the combined sheet and food portion from the sheet supporting means prior to feeding the next sheet thereto. 

1. Apparatus for interposing sheets of thin flexible separator material between successive portions of food products fed from a supply source, comprising trap door means mounted below the supply source and operable between a generally horizontal closed position and a lowered position, means for feeding a sheet of material of predeteRmined size onto said door means in the closed position thereof, means holding said door means in closed position for receiving and supporting a portion dropped downwardly onto a sheet positioned on said door means, means for releasing said door means to the lowered position causing the product and the sheet of material adjacent the bottom of the product to drop downwardly together into a collecting area, and drive means for operating said sheet feeding means and said releasing means for said door means in accordance with the rate of supply of the portions.
 2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including adjustable stop means cooperating with said door means for stopping the sheet fed thereon and positioning the sheet precisely on said door means.
 3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including means for supporting a roll of flexible separator material, means for withdrawing a web of the material from the roll and directing the web along a predetermined path toward said sheet feeding means, and knife means for successively cutting the web into sheets immediately ahead of said sheet feeding means.
 4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for feeding a sheet onto said door means include accelerating means for carrying the severed sheet away from the remainder of the web being pulled from the roll.
 5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said accelerating means includes a pair of parallel spaced rollers mounted crosswise of the path of travel of the web from said withdrawing means, belt means passing around and driven by said rollers, one of said rollers being located adjacent said knife means for receiving a sheet as it is cut from the web by said knife means, and means driving said rollers at a speed correlated to move said belt means substantially faster than said withdrawing means.
 6. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for supporting a supply roll of flexible material includes a rotatably mounted spindle, adjustable brake means for applying a dragging force on said spindle to oppose the pull of the web from the supply roll, and means on said spindle for releasably locking the supply roll on said spindle to prevent relative rotation between said spindle and the supply roll.
 7. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said withdrawing means includes withdrawing rollers, at least one of said withdrawing rollers having a drive connection to said drive means, said rollers forming a first nip through which the web is passed from the supply roll, said knife means being spaced from said nip toward said sheet feeding means to sever the sheet from the web as the web is advanced to said knife means by said rollers.
 8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said knife means includes a cutter roller carrying a cutting knife for severing the web once during each revolution thereof, and a drive connection rotating said cutter roller concurrently with said withdrawing roller to sever a sheet from the web corresponding in length to the circumference of said cutter roller.
 9. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said knife means includes a cutter roller carrying a cutting knife projecting therefrom, a back-up roller spaced slightly from said cutter roller and in position to contact said cutting knife to form a gap through which the web can be advanced by said withdrawing rollers, and a drive connection from said drive means to said cutter roller produces a peripheral speed of said cutter roller slower than the peripheral speed of said withdrawing rollers whereby the web is pushed through said gap before the web is severed by said cutting knife.
 10. Apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein said drive connection to said withdrawing rollers is adjustable to cause a change in the length of sheet severed from the web upon each revolution of said cutter roller.
 11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10, including a movable carriage having said sheet feeding means and all of said rollers mounted thereon for movement toward and away from said trAp door means for centering the severed sheet on said trap door means regardless of the size of the severed sheet.
 12. Apparatus as defined in claim 11, including adjustable stop means cooperating with said trap door means for stopping the sheet fed thereon to position the sheet precisely on said trap door means, and a connection between said adjustable stop means and said carriage constructed and arranged to move said adjustable stop means inward toward the center of said trap door means when said carriage is moved inward toward the center of said trap door means.
 13. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said trap door means includes a pair of adjacent rectangular shaped doors extending in a common plane across the path of travel of the food product from the supply source, and means pivotably mounting said doors on parallel axes spaced from said path such that said doors are adapted to be swung downwardly and away from each other by said releasing means to drop the product and the separator sheet together downwardly into the collecting area while maintaining the product in generally a horizontal attitude.
 14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein said trap doors are constructed as grids to minimize collection of food particles.
 15. Apparatus for inserting separator sheets between individual food portions which are dispensed in sequence along a predetermined path, door means supported in a normal closed position transversely of said path to intercept and to provide a temporary support for the food portions, means providing a supply of separator sheets, sheet feeding means receiving individual separator sheets from sheet supply means and operating to position a sheet on said door means in coordinated relation to the feeding of food portions such that a sheet is located on said door means before a food portion moves along said path and onto the sheet, means providing a collecting station spaced below said door means, drive means connected to move said door means to an open position permitting the combined sheet and food portion to pass to said collecting station, and means coordinating said drive means with said sheet feeding means and the rate of supply of the food portions to stop each portion upon a separator sheet resting on said door means and then to pass the combined sheet and food portion to said collecting station.
 16. Apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein said door means includes a coplanar pair of doors adjoining each other at the center of said path and each mounted for swinging movement down and away from the other to clear said path in the open position, a drive connection between said drive means and said doors for simultaneous movement of said doors to drop the combined sheet and food portion directly along said path and to return said doors to the closed position before the next food portion is dispensed.
 17. Apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein said sheet supply means includes a support for a roll of separator material, means for withdrawing and guiding the material as a web from the roll, cutter means operative to sever sheets from the end of the web, a connection between said sheet feeding means and said cutter means coordinating the severing of a sheet with the closing of said door means, and means guiding the severed sheets directly to said sheet feeding means for immediate positioning upon the closed door means to receive the next dispensed food portion.
 18. Apparatus as defined in claim 17, including adjustable control mechanism in said connection between said sheet feeding means and said cutter means for changing the length of sheet severed from the web.
 19. Apparatus for inserting separator sheets between individual food portions which are dispensed in sequence along a predetermined path, comprising means including locating stops for supporting individual separator sheets in predetermined stationary position across said path to receive the food portions, a support for a roll of separator material, Means for withdrawing and guiding the material as a web from said roll, cutter means operative to sever sheets from the end of the web, a control timing the operation of said cutter means to the dispensing of the food portions, sheet feeding means receiving the individual separator sheets from said cutter means and operating to advance each sheet rapidly to said locating stops, and means for removing the combined sheet and food portion from the sheet supporting means prior to feeding the next sheet thereto. 